As a whole, we’re a society of hard workers. When those precious vacation days roll around, we want to make the most of them—relaxing, making memories, reconnecting and recharging. For some, that means planning the vacation of a lifetime. For others, it’s simply unplugging. Vacationers can return from a safari disappointed. They can return from a hotel down the street rejuvenated. The point is that the perfect summer vacation doesn’t depend on places, people or things. YOU make it happen.
Allow yourself to enjoy the anticipation
Ask any bride (or groom) and chances are they’ll tell you that the planning leading up to the wedding was so exciting that the actual wedding paled in comparison. Vacations are similar. By letting your vacation travel planner arrange your trip well in advance, you not only score the best airfares and hotel deals, but also have something exciting to look forward to. Plus, the more planning done ahead of time, the less last-minute stress.
Let your personality be your guide
Not everyone has the luxury or the personality to plan an extended vacation away from work and home. While a three-week trek across China sounds like a dream, the reality for some is far from it. Take all of your work, family, school and even pet obligations into consideration. If the idea of being away for too long makes you cringe, maybe planning a few shorter vacations is best. Some of our clients prefer having more than one trip to look forward to each year.
It’s okay to be a sloth
Possibly the biggest mistake travellers make on vacation is forgetting to RELAX. It’s okay to act like a sloth. You have the other days of the year to run at warp speed. Just because there are sights waiting to be seen doesn’t mean you’re obligated to see each and every one. Be selective. Be selfish with your time. If you’re not sure which activities and sights are worthy, just ask your vacation travel planner. That’s what we do.
Chaining yourself to your smartphone is… well… dumb
We’re not saying don’t take your smartphone. After all, you may need to call your travel planner to help change your flights or upgrade accommodations—maybe get you out of a jam. And there are those who panic at the mere thought of unplugging for days at a time. What if there’s an emergency at work or home? What if you miss something important? STOP. WORRYING. Set boundaries. Check your email once a day if you must—then put the phone away. Put your mind at ease by setting up an emergency email address and only giving it to those who would need to contact you. Gmail accounts are free.
How about:
ImOnVacationSoDon’tBugMe@gmail.com?
Speaking of email, learn the art of using auto reply
Don’t forget to turn on your email autoresponder before leaving on vacation. Write a message that not only includes when you’ll return, but the name and contact information of a person who can handle requests in your place. Add that you’ll respond AFTER a certain date so that no one will be expecting you anyway.
Take a vacation day immediately after your vacation
There is no better way to spoil a perfect vacation than jumping right back into everyday life within hours of your flight landing. Take a vacation day to recoup. Get unpacked. Do some laundry. Go to the market. Decompress.
Let an experienced leisure travel planner do the hard work for you
Vacation planning and daydreaming starts early. We plan vacations for clients that have a destination they want to check off their bucket list and for those who leave it to us to find a perfect spot. Again, it depends on you and your personality. Either way, we can do all the planning in the world months in advance or spur of the moment, but it comes down to you to create the perfect vacation.
Tweet your perfect vacation photos. #TravelMemories.
Where in the World Do You Want to Go?
Inspired to plan your next weekend getaway, vacation or trip of a lifetime? See that form below? That’s all it takes to begin your next epic travel story.